Big Idea:
Start the new year off "write" with a multi-purpose assignment.

Today's class will be a shorter class than what will be the norm because students will have spent a good part of the day learning to open their lockers and reviewing team norms during Advisory time.

This is the first time all students will be following their schedule, so I will see each of my four classes for the first time today. This day will set the tone.

After students come in and I get an accurate attendance record, I will introduce students to the "caddy" in the center of their table. This is where I place needed items like handouts to save instructional time. Each caddy also contains a stapler and three hole punch for student use and to promote organization.

Their first assignment is in the caddy. I will ask each student to take one. The assignment is a letter from me to them. The letter contains both my introduction and instructions for their first assignment. I will read it aloud to the class as they follow.

What students do not know is that this letter will serve many purposes for me to learn about my students, but also for them to reflect on what they have learned and their own growth at the end of the year. See this lesson at the end of the year for more on that.

Resources (2)

Resources

After reading the letter, students will get started on their letter to me. As there is only around 15-20 minutes of class time remaining, what is not completed in class is to be completed at home. I actually want them to finish on their own at home because I want them to take the time to show me their best work. Their letter will be collected on the third day of class.